HARIDWAR: A stampede broke out during a rush of pilgrims along a stair route leading to the Mansa Devi temple on a hilltop in Haridwar on Sunday, killing eight people and leaving 30 injured, officials said.
Rumours of an electricity current where the stairs begin triggered panic among people, leading to the stampede, Haridwar’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Singh Dobal told PTI Videos.
Citing a report from Haridwar ADM, the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority said eight people were killed in the stampede and 30 injured.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a magisterial probe has been ordered into the circumstances leading to the stampede.
Some people, who sustained minor injuries in the stampede and were discharged after first aid, have not been included in the list of the injured persons, the Authority said.
The incident took place around 9 am.
Being a Sunday, a sea of devotees had gathered at the temple atop the Shivalik hills at a height of more than 500 feet.
Videos from the spot showed a massive rush of people, including children and women, towards the narrow entrance of the temple and outside the hospital, and worried family members waiting for the news of their loved ones.
Haridwar’s Additional District Magistrate has been assigned the task of conducting a probe into the incident and submit a report within 15 days making recommendations on how to prevent the recurrence of such happenings in future, District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit said.
Speaking to reporters here, CM Dhami said, “A stampede broke out at the Mansa Devi temple in the morning because of a rumour…. We have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident and those responsible for spreading the rumour will face strict action.”
The chief minister later visited the district hospital in Haridwar where most of the injured were admitted and went from bed to bed asking them about their well being.
He assured the relatives attending them of all support from the government.
CM Dhami has also announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased persons and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the political leaders who expressed grief over the loss of lives in the stampede.
President Murmu, In a post on X in hindi, said “The news of the deaths of many devotees in a stampede on the way to the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar is deeply painful. I express my heartfelt condolences to all the grieving families. I pray that all the injured devotees recover quickly.”
PM Modi, in a post on X, said “Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected.”
Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman in Dehradun said of the total injured in the stampede, five have been referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh for better treatment.
According to the officials, those killed in the tragic incident have been identified as Arush (12), Vipin Saini (18), Shakal Dev (18), Vicky (18), Vishal (19), Vakil (43), Shanti (60) and Ram Bharose (65).
They were from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar.
“The priority as of now is the rapid recovery of those injured in the stampede,” Garhwal Commissioner Vnay Shankar Pandey told reporters.
Haridwar SSP Doval said that a rumor of electric current suddenly spread near the stairs about 100 meters below the temple and prima facie this caused the stampede.
However, he said, a detailed investigation of the incident is being done.
An injured devotee, Nirmala who is admitted at the government hospital, said the stampede happened as the horde of people going up and those hurrying downwards choked the narrow passage.
“People coming back from the temple pushed those climbing upwards and then people began falling over each other. Nothing could be seen because of the crowd. I kept lying down,” she said from her bed at the hospital.
Locals said if the administration had been a little cautious, considering the possibility of a huge crowd coming to the Mansa Devi temple, the accident could have been avoided.
Videos of the stampede showed a huge crowd of men, women and children stuck in a narrow passage leading to the temple. Dozens of people, seemingly glued to each other and hardly moving, could only manage to hold the children above their heads.
The temple, dedicated to goddess Mansa Devi, is one of the five sacred sites or ‘Panch Tirthas’ of Haridwar.
Prime facie, it appears that the stampede broke out following a rumour that electricity was running through broken wires, District Magistrate Dikshit told reporters in Haridwar.
Search operations continued to find any victims hidden among the bushes and a ditch along the route where the stampede occurred.
Shah also said that closure of the route half an hour before the stampede prevented a bigger tragedy.
People were stopped from going on the staircase half an hour before the accident in the morning as the crowd was too big, Shah said if this had not been done, the accident could have been bigger.
